Jack Springthorpe documents a northern congregation in rapid decline

Jack Springthorpe is a documentary photographer from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. Building a portfolio influenced by his surroundings, Jack’s photography is packed with a flair for familiarity.

This year, Jack spent time documenting the followers of a small church community in Gateshead, while researching the history of Wesleyan Methodism in his local area. A faith that was originally brought to the area by John and Charles Wesley in the 1700s, its beliefs captivated the working society, “catching on in the mill towns and villages across West Yorkshire”.

Jack explained that the followers of Gateshead were the workers who “would often spent Monday to Saturday in the mills, and Sunday mornings would be spent in the numerous chapels dotted around the countryside surrounding Huddersfield, Halifax and Bradford.” As religion’s popularity across the UK diminishes those photographed by Jack find themselves lost, “its congregation has been visiting the chapel since they were children and worry for it’s future in a country where Christianity is in rapid decline.”

“Ultimately, this project is a documentation of a way of life that could soon be lost forever and the people who are doing their best to keep it alive.”